FAA announces drastic flight reductions will begin on Friday if shutdown continues

The Trump administration announced that starting Friday, thousands of flights per day will be canceled if the government shutdown continues.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Wednesday afternoon that the Federal Aviation Administration will ask airlines to reduce flight schedules as concerns about air traffic controller staffing grow.

The move could shut down 3,500 to 4,000 flights a day at dozens of the country’s busiest airports.

The FAA called the measure “proactive,” citing fatigue among essential aviation safety workers — who as of Wednesday had not received full pay in more than a month, the longest government shutdown in history.

“We’re starting to see some evidence that fatigue is developing in the system and we think we need to work to relieve some of that pressure,” Duffy told a news conference.

The U.S. Department of Transportation said the cuts would account for 10% of all air traffic in 40 busy cities and include cuts to space launches and other flight traffic.

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The FAA plans to meet with airlines later Wednesday to discuss how they will implement the flight cuts.

This is a development story. Please check back soon for additional updates.